Quayle has 'high expectations' if Bush should prevail

Having served as the No. 2 man under a president whose son may
soon claim the White House, former Vice President Dan Quayle
offered some unique insights during a stop at Fiddler's Elbow
Country Club in Bedminster on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Quayle, speaking
informally at a fundraiser for the Somerset County Republican
Party, talked about the election recount in Florida, the
perspective from overseas, the state of the economy and the
challenges that would face Texas Gov. George W. Bush if he is
declared victorious.

"I know him very well and I have high expectations," Quayle
said.

Quayle, who now lives in Arizona, was an Indiana senator in 1988
when George H.W. Bush, the current nominee's father, tapped him to
be his running mate.

He served as vice president from 1989 to 1993, leaving office
after the Bush-Quayle team lost a re-election bid to Democrat Bill
Clinton and his running mate, Al Gore.

In one of the great ironies of American politics, it appears as
though the younger Bush may narrowly edge Gore and will succeed the
man who defeated his father. But the outcome still remains in doubt
as Gore has contested the results in Florida.

Was A Candidate Himself

Quayle himself ran briefly in the 2000 presidential race before
dropping out and endorsing Bush.

The former vice president was scheduled to appear in New York
when the Bedminster stopover was arranged through a friend, Ronald
Skobo of Hillsborough Township.

Skobo, who is vice president of a Somerset investigative firm,
said he plans toseek the GOP nomination for county sheriff. Working
with Skobo, Somerset County GOP Chairman Dale Florio set up a
$1,000-per-person fundraiser for the county organization.

Quayle arrived at Fiddler's Elbow at about 5:30 p.m. with his
wife, Marilyn. For the next hour, they chatted with 15 or so donors
over cocktails in a small but

The former vice president then went into the hallway and sat
down for a photo session with individual donors. Afterward, he
returned to the library and made some remarks to a gathering of
about 25 people.

Quayle rhetorically asked why someone like himself would care
about sheriffs but then recalled a race in Indiana where a
candidate for sheriff outpolled everyone else.

"So I know the power structure, I know where the vote goes," he
said to laughter. "It goes to the sheriff."

'Not Legal Issue'

Turning to national politics and the overriding story, Quayle
said, "I feel reasonably confident and comfortable that George W.
Bush will be the next president of the United States."

The focus, he said, would be on the Florida Supreme Court. He
said the U.S. Supreme Court was "ingenious" by not taking an
opinion Dec. 4 and instead asking the Florida court how it decided
to extend the recount.

"I think courts, particularly supreme courts, are reluctant to
get into this," he said. "It's a political issue, not a legal
issue."

Quayle said he recently went on a business trip to Japan and
Taiwan and found that his hosts "were fascinated by how transparent
the American system really is." They saw "a stable democracy" that
uses a "legal process to determine a legitimate winner."

There was also a good deal of give and take about dimples and
chads, he said, "and when you go through an interpreter, let me
tell you, it comes out a little different."

'Tough Years' Possible

Quayle, who at 53 is a year younger than Gov. Bush, said the
apparent president-

elect has experienced advisors and "a lot of good instincts."
But he said the

governor could face "a couple of tough years" because the
economy may not be as strong as people were led to
believe.

Growth in last quarter was only 2 percent, Quayle noted. "My
hunch is that when Gov. Bush and Dick Cheney come in, they're going
to find the economy in more trouble than they ever
anticipated."

Remarking on the closely divided Congress, Quayle said Bush may
enjoy a longer political honeymoon because of the fragile
situation.

Bush "has the ability to bring people together," he said.
"People like him." But Washington, he added, is bigger than the
Texas capital and more partisan. He said that while he knows Bush
well, one never knows how someone will do as president until they
are sworn in.

Once the governor is in the Oval Office "and occupies that
chair, he's a different person," he said.

Bush will, however, "restore moral authority" to the office, he
said. "It's nice that we're going to have honor and dignity back in
the White House. It's been missing for about eight
years."

Quayle was asked who Bush might appoint to his Cabinet. "I do
think he's going

to appoint some Democrats and he should," he said. But he was
reluctant to speculate because Gore hadn't conceded. "Given this
election, I don't think it's too wise to go out on a
limb."

'Goes For Talent'

In a brief interview with this newspaper, Quayle was asked about
complaints that Bush often relies on officials who served his
father.

"There were a lot of good people in that administration and Gov.
Bush, like his father, goes for talent," he said. "I'm sure there
will be new faces, like any administration. But you have a new
government and experience is a factor."

As for himself, Quayle said he has been working with a
Phoenix-based investment

banking operation that does extensive business in Asia. "I'm
spending time with Marilyn and getting immersed in the private
sector."

The former vice president stayed until about 7:10 p.m. when he
and his wife left for an engagement in New York.

Quayle's appearance was at least his third in Bedminster. An
avid golfer, he played in a golf outing with Gov. Christine Todd
Whitman and others at Fiddler's Elbow about five years ago. He also
spoke at AT&T while running for vice president in
1988.

On hand for the fundraiser were Florio, Watchung Borough
Councilwoman-elect Catherine Ilchert, Warren Township Attorney John
Coley, state Assemblymen Peter Biondi and Christopher "Kip"
Bateman, R-Somerset, and Bernards Township GOP Chairman June
Willson. The affair raised about $15,000, according to
Florio.

"We were happy to have the vice president here," he said.
"There's a lot of appeal in hearing what someone at that level has
to say."

Willson agreed. "It was great to see Marilyn, too," she
said.

Quayle's remarks were briefly interrupted when an unidentified
man fainted while standing next to Marilyn Quayle. The man
immediately got up and walked out, trailed by a hostess who offered
help. The hostess later said the man had felt hot.

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In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html